The situation of Albanians in the Presheva Valley and the problems they face were discussed during a meeting at the headquarters of the Albanian National Council, where Chairman Enkel Rexhepi received representatives of the Embassy of the United States of America in Belgrade.

The meeting was attended by US diplomat and First Secretary Pepijn Helgers, Political Section official Ksenija Lazović, and Political Officer Joseph “Joe” Gayeski.

Rexhepi said that the passivization of Albanians’ addresses in the Presheva Valley was one of the central issues discussed.

According to him, the process is being used as an administrative procedure for what he described as “the ethnic cleansing of Albanians in the Valley by administrative means.”

The chairman of the Albanian National Council accused the Government of Serbia of failing to implement the agreements that had been signed, which, he said, had hindered the economic development of the Valley and weakened the representation of Albanians in state institutions.

“The failure of the Serbian Government to implement the signed agreements has left the Valley as the least developed region, while Albanians remain underrepresented, discriminated against and facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” Rexhepi wrote.

During the meeting, it was pointed out that the situation of Albanians in the Valley had deteriorated compared with 15 years ago.

Rexhepi said that institutional exclusion and the failure to integrate Albanians into Serbia’s institutions had led to a decline in the number of Albanian police officers, judges and prosecutors compared with 15 years ago.

He claimed that some republican institutions had no Albanian representatives at all.

Rexhepi concluded his post by describing the United States as “the main ally of Albanians.” Meanwhile, he described the US Embassy in Belgrade as a friendly embassy to the Albanian National Council and the Albanians of the Presheva Valley.

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During his stay in New York, Albanian MP in the Assembly of Serbia Shaip Kamberi met with U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson. The situation of Albanians in the Presheva Valley was the focus of their discussion.

The issues raised during the meeting included the insufficient representation of Albanians in public institutions, the passivization of addresses, education in the Albanian language and the non-recognition of Kosovo’s diplomas.

Kamberi said it was deemed necessary to address these issues in the U.S. Helsinki Commission, as well as in official communications with Belgrade.

“The Presheva Valley must receive international attention,” Kamberi said.

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The three Albanian political parties in the Presheva Valley—the Party for Democratic Action (PVD), the Albanian Democratic Party (PDSH) and the Democratic Party (PD)—have issued a joint statement in support of Faton Bislimi’s candidacy for president of the Republic of Kosovo.

Representatives of the parties say their support stems from their political and national responsibility toward the Albanians of Presheva, Medvegjë and Bujanoc, as well as from the need to strengthen ties between the Republic of Kosovo and the Albanians of the Valley.

According to the statement, Faton Bislimi represents an independent, non-partisan and unifying profile, which is considered particularly suitable for the current political situation in Kosovo. His experience and public positions over the years, the three parties say, demonstrate his ability to cooperate beyond political and party divisions, putting Kosovo’s state interests, its strategic relationship with the United States and the Albanian national interest ahead of party interests.

One of the main reasons cited for this support is Bislimi’s continuous and extraordinary contribution to the cause of the Albanians of the Presheva Valley in the United States of America.

For more than two decades, the statement says, he has used his credibility and the relationships he established in Washington to keep the Valley’s cause in the attention of American policymakers, particularly the United States Congress and Senate.

The three parties stress that this engagement has had a clearly bipartisan character, as it has involved communication and cooperation with representatives of both major parties in the United States. Among the American figures with whom Bislimi has cooperated or through whom he has facilitated communication on the issue of the Valley’s Albanians are Senator Joni Ernst, Senator Gary Peters, and Representatives Jim Himes, Jim McGovern and Keith Self, among others.

Through his activities, Bislimi has helped organize and hold meetings devoted to the Valley’s cause with members of the US Congress and Senate.

His contribution has also included providing briefings at congressional and Senate institutions on the situation and challenges facing Albanians in Presheva, Medvegjë and Bujanoc.

He has conveyed to American decision-makers the demands and concerns of Albanian political representatives from the Valley, and has helped secure letters and public statements from senators and representatives of both American parties in support of the legitimate rights and interests of the Albanians of this region.

The statement also highlights his role in keeping the Valley’s cause as a continuing part of the US policy agenda for the Western Balkans.

PVD, PDSH and PD describe this experience as particularly significant because, in their view, it demonstrates that Bislimi has not regarded the Valley’s cause as a temporary interest or as an element of a narrow party agenda. On the contrary, his engagement is described as long-term, consistent and based on bipartisan foundations, with the aim of securing US support regardless of which party has been in power in Washington.

The parties believe that this experience would serve the Republic of Kosovo if Faton Bislimi were elected president. According to them, the country needs a president capable of communicating with all political forces within Kosovo as well as with both sides of the American political spectrum.

They also consider it important that a figure with such a record of engagement for the Albanians of the Valley have the opportunity to represent the Republic of Kosovo at the highest institutional level.

For these reasons, the Party for Democratic Action (PVD), the Albanian Democratic Party (PDSH) and the Democratic Party (PD) express their support for Faton Bislimi’s candidacy for president of the Republic of Kosovo, describing him as a serious candidate for a consensual, non-partisan and unifying solution, in the interest of the Republic of Kosovo and the Albanian nation.

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The statement says the aid had been dispatched with the support of donors from Sweden and with the backing of Presheva Municipality Mayor Ardita Sinani. The organizers claim that all the required documents were in order, but customs officers also asked for additional paperwork, including a memorandum of cooperation, which they consider a request outside the legal framework.

According to the same statement, even after attempts were made to resolve the situation by signing additional documents and redirecting the aid toward Kosovo, the authorities continued to impose other administrative obstacles.

The Office for Albanians in Serbia, also referring to the position of the Albanian National Council, claims that the real reason for the blockage was not a lack of documentation, but the fact that the aid was intended for Albanian communities in Presheva, Bujanoc and Medvegja.

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